|
CHRISTMAS IS COMING!
by willetta pilcher One can almost hear the groans. Surely, not again, so soon! I just got last year's Christmas paid for. I hate the crowds. Who do I have to buy for this year? They never like what I buy! All the kids think about is what they're going to get... and on and on the lament goes. Why do we do what we do? Why do we put ourselves through so much that we dislike? Why do we spend so much money that we do not have only to make payments that we cannot afford? Who says we have to? ... Tradition? Aunt Susie? The kids? The advertisers? Who decides? Isn't it sad that such a joyous time of year should be one filled with so much drudgery? Well, how about giving a little thought toward changing the old attitude? With a little bit of ingenuity one can come up with new ways to celebrate that will make this truly one of the most blessed events of all the year. Remember, the season is to celebrate HIS birth. The sad thing about it is, HE is usually forgotten. Why not wrap your celebration around HIM this year. Give Jesus a party! After all, it is His birthday. Getting ready for the party can be as much fun as the party itself. Decorating can be simple. Let the kids get involved. String popcorn and cranberries. Make ornaments for the tree. And if you can't afford a tree, paint a bare branch gold and hang your homemade ornaments on that. So, they aren't perfect. Which will be the most remembered? The perfect look or the ones the kids get involved in? Besides, if it is done in love for Him, He will think it is perfect! Do something special as a family for someone else. Perhaps you know an elderly person that will most likely be alone. Making their day will certainly make yours. Or how about a family that has had lots of sickness or other misfortune and just won't be able to make the budget for Christmas this year. Invite them over for a meal on Christmas. You won't need gifts. Let your guest or guests tell stories about their life. Teach your children the joy of sharing and making another person's day glad. Remember Jesus said, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. (Mt 25:40) Make some cookies or make a batch of taffy. Even if it's runny it's good eaten with a spoon! Even raw cookie dough taste wonderful (at least most kids think so, remember Grandma's cookie dough?) And the kids will have a blast. Yes, it will make a mess but isn't Christmas about memories? Read a Christmas story each evening about how others have enjoyed Christmas. All kinds of books are available on this subject. And don't forget the story of stories, the one from the Bible. Matthew 1:18-2:23 and Luke 1:1-2:52. Divide it up into several sections and share some each evening. Discuss how the characters in the story may have felt. Let the children give their opinions. Play act each part of the story. Sheets and robes make good costumes. And on Christmas Day, have a birthday cake for Jesus and sing Happy Birthday to him! Tell Him what you would like to give Him but most of all... give Him your self. Willetta has spent most of her life ministering to people. In her late seventies, and a wheelchair now her mode of travel, she now ministers to people through the internet. Her webs are... www.teachmethyways.org www.successwithkids.org www.theseedsower.org Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |